By day, Chelsea Tucker is a culinary specialist in the U.S. Coast Guard. By night, she is a trained fighter. Tucker has been stationed at the Coast Guard’s West Boothbay Harbor headquarters for a year. And, for the last two years, she has trained as an MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter. The 24-year-old Boothbay woman has fought twice in New England Fights, a regional amateur division of MMA. Tucker lost both bouts, but she has another fight in Portland this month when she battles Glory Watson of Bangor in a 130-pound division match.

Tucker and Watson are part of a 15-fight card set for 6 p.m. Saturday, June 16 at the night club, Aura. For those unfamiliar with MMA, it is mixed martial arts in full-contact combat. The sport allows striking and grappling combatants to battle inside the sports octagon. In a nutshell, MMA mixes boxing, wrestling and martial arts.

Tucker was stationed in Washington state when she began MMA training. Prior to her arrival in Washington, Tucker had an interest in MMA, but never participated in the sport. But once she enlisted in the Coast Guard, she found herself stationed in a new location with a gym just down the street.

“I didn’t know much about it, but I thought it would be cool to try. I started out with jiu jitsu, and somebody convinced me to take a striking class which led into fighting,” she said.

Her training regimen includes jiu jitsu (a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent), muay thai (a technique developed in Thailand for striking with knees and elbows), cardiovascular training and some weightlifting. Tucker trains at First Class Fitness and MMA in Brunswick under the guidance of her coach John Raio.

Raio believes Tucker is physically and emotionally ready to battle in the octagon. “My coach and I decided I’m ready for this,” Tucker said. “I’m working on my mistakes and believe I will come out stronger than I have been.”

MMA is a stark contrast from other combative sports. Boxing is punching. Wrestling is holds and pins. Martial arts is a form of self-defense. But MMA is a far more aggressive version of combat fighting. MMA includes punching, kicking and kneeing during a brutal match. Tucker will battle Watson in three, 3-minute rounds. Despite the adversarial format, Tucker describes the sport as “a close-knit community.”

“My favorite part is after a fight we embrace each other. There is an incredible bond and sense of love and community in this sport,” Tucker said. “At the end of the day, it’s the love of the sport which bonds us together.”

Tucker has the goal of fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC). The organization began in 1993 and is headquartered in Las Vegas. UFC features the top-ranked professionals in the sport.